The Council of the European Union has amended its 2022 Implementing Decision approving Hungary's recovery and resilience plan, introducing new milestones and targets for the second quarter of 2026 across three components: demography and public education, workforce development, and catching-up settlements. The amendments, detailed in a Council note dated 7 July 2026, specify concrete deliverables Hungary must achieve to unlock Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds, including the distribution of digital notebooks, teacher wage increases, and photovoltaic installations.
The revised plan builds on the original approval of Hungary's RRF plan on 15 December 2022. Under Component 1 (Demography and Public Education), Hungary must deliver 579,000 digital notebooks and 3,100 digital tools to schools by Q2 2026, award EUR 23.5 million for special education support services, and enact legal acts raising teacher wages to at least 80% of the tertiary graduate average wage by 1 January 2025, maintained until 31 December 2031. A 12.5% wage premium is required for teachers in disadvantaged settlements or schools where at least 10% of pupils are disadvantaged. Additionally, Hungary must launch tenders for 110 childcare facilities with primary energy demand at least 20% below the nearly zero-energy building requirement.
Component 2 (Highly Qualified, Competitive Workforce) requires Hungary to revise 15 higher education programmes to include practice-oriented elements, develop at least 1,000 digital learning materials, and launch calls for energy efficiency renovation and new construction of higher education buildings totalling 25,145 m², with a minimum 30% greenhouse gas reduction. Notably, public trust funds are excluded as recipients under these calls. The component also mandates renovation or construction of 57,000 m² across 18 vocational training centres and delivery of 1,150 ICT units, as well as renovation of the Central Examination Centre with ICT and simulation equipment.
Component 3 (Catching Up Settlements) sets targets for installing at least 15,000 kWp of photovoltaic capacity and issuing grant awards to 1,500 beneficiaries from municipalities selected under the Catching up Settlements Programme to subsidise annual electricity costs. Hungary must also ensure at least 7,000 people from those municipalities participate in labour socialisation programmes, and at least 60 public education or vocational training institutions from those municipalities engage in inclusive pedagogical development.
The amendments introduce 15 milestones and targets that Hungary must meet by Q2 2026 to access RRF disbursements. The exclusions for public trust funds under higher education calls reflect ongoing EU concerns about governance and transparency in Hungary's use of public funds. The Council's decision formalises these requirements, with the European Commission expected to monitor compliance before any further payments are made.